1996 was a pivotal year for me musically. It was the year DJ Shadow released Endtroducing and it was the year I was first properly introduced to electronic music, an experience that certainly altered the course of my life. Although Endtroducing probably ended up having more of a direct influence on my sound, the impetus for me wanting to create my own music was without a doubt LTJ Bukem’s Logical Progression, a continuous mix of what was later referred to as “Intelligent Drum And Bass”.

I was given the album by a friend (on MiniDisc of all things) and it served as the soundtrack to an entire semester of school. We ended up building a battery-powered backpack and walking around in the forests above San Francisco, blasting this sort of music through the mist and Eucalyptus trees; some of my best memories of this city. Sadly, Drum And Bass took some pretty hard turns a few years after this and I just couldn’t keep up. There were a few practitioners of this sound still releasing (most notably, perhaps, Big Bud) but in general things sort of devolved from here on out — to my ears at least. There were several more Logical Progression compilations released after this one (which was later referred to as Logical Progression: Level 1), but none managed to capture the zeitgeist quite like the first.

I think beyond the music, the associated artwork also had a big impact on me. One of my first forays into Photoshop was essentially just a bad ripoff of this cover. I did a little digging and it looks like it was designed by Phillip Wells (aka Basement Phil). Here is a quote from him (unverified of course) on the Logical Progression Discogs page:

I organised the deal for this compilation with Pete Tong at London Records on behalf of Dan aka LTJ Bukem.

When he was sent to an artist studio to do the sleeve, I got a phone call late in the afternoon from Dan saying he could not come up with a sleeve he was happy with and would I come and help. So I left my office at Vinyl Distribution in Reading and made my way up to London and when I arrived Dan was all flustered as the sleeve had to be done that day.

I looked through loads of pictures before coming across the picture used. I knew it was the one because of the ray of light shining down on the Earth, and remember saying to Dan that it was the perfect image as I saw the music that had been released on the label over the three previous years had been a shining light for the DnB scene. – Basement Phil

So enough background, on to the tracks. These are a few of the standouts for me. Photek’s Pharoah (referred to elsewhere as Rings Around Saturn) is far and away the best song on the album and would definitely make my all-time top 100 list.

I see even bigger things happening for Soundcloud in the future, mainly the community within it coming closer so I decide to start a guide of people to follow if you like what’s on ISO50. Below I started off with frequent users that make your feed more enjoyable with quality posts.

This week we start off with San Francisco locals and good friends Yourstru.ly who are one of my favorites to follow on Soundcloud, they have plenty of material and are always actively finding and sharing new artists. Moderna has a growing collection of short mixes that always are perfect for weekend nights, making her someone to see if you’re in LA. Since astrangelyisolatedplace started their label they are one of the higher quality labels in the ambient world, recently they got to share a new Markus Guentner EP with the world which is undeniably lush and perfect.

This is Nemo 33, the deepest swimming pool in the world. Located in Brussels, Belgium, the 113 ft. deep diving facility was designed by diving expert John Beernaerts for instruction, recreation, and film production.

I love the layout and colors of the space; the multi-level plateaus at the top are incredible. This really has a sort of 2001 vibe with a healthy dose of spent fuel pool thrown in. Would love to have a swim in there.

Here we are, probably my favorite livery from the heyday of Formula 1: John Player Special. As Lotus’s title sponsor for much of the 70’s and 80’s, these beautiful black and gold machines spent alot of time in the winners circle. Emerson Fittipaldi, Jochen Rindt, Mario Andretti, and Ayrton Senna, to name a few, all drove JPS sponsored Lotus machines.

JPS was also active in touring cars and motorcycle racing, the black & gold scheme so iconic that many manufacturer’s road-going variants usually had a complimentary paint option – albiet without the lucrative cigarette advertisements.

The colors have proved so nostalgic that Lotus has donned them once again (without any association to the extinct cigarette brand) in their Formula 1 and Le Mans prototype cars, and I must say that it’s a hero’s return for most.

What I’m really looking forward to is checking out the Historic GP at this year’s inaugural F1 race in Austin, a little birdie told me that Mario’s old Lotus 79 will be buzzing around the new track.

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Its never intentional to match the music with the image above but these 4 songs are pretty fitting. Dirty Beaches yesterday shared the what sounded like a soundtrack to one of those days everything is still because of the blistering heat, so you find yourself indoors in the shade of sitting among dusty wood furniture watching the dust float by the last bit of sun.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: This is just the beginning of what i’ll share of the Loscil album, maybe we can get an exclusive preview of the whole album on the blog? look for pre-orders here.

This is pretty beatless spaced out guitar version of “Snooze 4 Love” by Todd Terje, its always a fine time to put this on.

Avey Tare of Animal Collective uploaded 3 tracks new songs today possibly for an upcoming release which makes this post all together maybe the most relaxing collection of track’s i’ve ever posted.

The App is more than the just the printed catalogue, it offers a comprehensive overview of the work of the great Dutch master, not only in pictures, but in words as well. The viewer also has access to a filmed interview with Crouwel, a photographic record of the show itself, and a range of animations using the letterforms designed by Wim Crouwel during his long career.

This all-encompassing digital catalogue offers a unique insight into Wim Crouwel’s work and archive, as well as the successful exhibition co-curated by Unit Editions co-founder Tony Brook. It’s a chance to either discover or relive the exhibition.

The effect that Dekotora has on the senses is profound. Imagine for a moment that you’re walking home late at night through a less trafficked, industrial area. Out of nowhere a garage door springs to life and the seismic presence of a 12 cylinder diesel barks to life. The next thing you know, a 10 ton monstrosity, cobbled together with jukeboxes, arcade machines and laser guided disco lights, is quickly bearing down on you. Such was my introduction to the relatively nonexistent presence of decorative commercial trucks operating in the greater New York City area.

A rare sight in most corners of the world, Dekotora is the Japanese discipline of decorating industrial and commercial vehicles with anything that reflects, glows, or flashes. It’s inspiration is drawn heavily from Gundam & arcade culture, something that much of the neon-marinated citzens of Tokyo can relate to.

Surprisingly, these are not “art cars” – they are fully functional and go about their daily tasks just as you see them here. Alot of these vehicles can be seen during business hours, backing up to loading docks, stopping for weigh stations or filling up at diesel pumps. Granted, some of the trucks above may be for shows only but from what I’ve read a lot of drivers do it to liven up their job and set their truck apart from the rest.

I really love the amount of detail that goes into these, I hope someday I’m able to get a closer look, I feel like I could spend a whole day looking at all the little bits and pieces. Yellow Magic Orchestra never reached the audience they deserved in the US so hey guys, here’s our chance to make up for past mistakes, you know that broken Bally machine in your aunt’s rec room? Or that Wurlitzer collecting dust in your garage? Throw a copy of Solid State Survivor in there and glue that shit to your truck man.